Inside Lynnwood’s Baekjong Korean Barbecue | Eater Seattle

"At its new Lynnwood location in Alderwood Mall, I found Baekjeong Korean Barbecue — hailed as Los Angeles’ best KBBQ chain — which opened its first West Coast location outside Southern California on September 19 after a substantial delay from an originally planned July opening. Each metal-topped table is outfitted with its own overhead hood that funnels meat fumes up to the high ceiling and out of the restaurant, and the airy, modern space could just as easily be located in LA or Seoul as in the outskirts of Seattle. While Baekjeong doesn’t offer the expensive luxury meats (like A5 Japanese wagyu) that some other KBBQ spots specialize in, all the meat here is USDA Prime or better, with options including whole boneless ribeye steaks, boneless short ribs, thin-sliced pork belly, outside skirt steak, thin-sliced brisket, and pork jowl; the menu also includes organ meats such as beef mountain tripe, beef large intestine, and beef abomasum, sometimes served marinated in multiple ways. Beyond the cook-it-yourself barbecue, I found ready-to-eat dinner dishes (various hot and cold noodle bowls, mixed seafood soondubu stew, beef brisket and tofu stew, mountain tripe fried rice, stir-fried squid with noodles, and several types of bibimbap) and surprising lunch items like a grilled cheese stuffed with beef bulgogi, what looks like a straight-up cheeseburger, and bento-style boxes with rice and side dishes. The chain began in 2003 by a Korean professional-wrestler-turned-reality-show-star, was brought to Los Angeles in 2012 by Michael Chon and the Kijung Hospitality Group (gaining a loyal following and a spot on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants in 2015), and is now expanding on the West Coast with a ninth location opening in San Jose this fall. It’s located at 3000 184th Street Southwest, Suite 922, and is open 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday–Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to midnight Friday, 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday." - Jade Yamazaki Stewart